Lawn care is becoming an increasingly pressing item on the agenda as the weather perks up and Britons take to their gardens to enjoy it. However, tending the garden doesn’t often come without weed removal as most turf is prone to these largely unwelcomed plants. There are many solutions floating around, but some can be totally detrimental to the surrounding grass.
If you’re experiencing a weed problem, you’re not alone. Weeds are a common garden problem most Britons suffer with, and they usually appear in the form of thistles, dandelions, clovers, or other variations.
Some tell-tale signs you might be due some sprouting weeds is when the grass begins to look patchy and uneven, or flowers like daisies emerge on the lawn.
However, the biggest problem most encounter when working to eliminate these weeds is how to do so without destroying the grass.
Luckily, there are many solutions to do this; naturally as well as with more heavy-duty approaches, that will target the unwanted weeds while preserving your lawn.
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Hand-pull the weeds
The most natural and cost-effective way to remove stubborn weeds is to pull them by hand.
Grab some tough gardening gloves, or if possible, a weeding tool. The tool will make the job a lot easier as it’ll allow you grip the weed by the roots, which will prevent them from growing back.
This method allows you to target the weeds specifically without harming the surrounding grass and soil with any chemicals.
It’s also the most cost-effective method, as it means you won’t have to worry about spending excess money on weedkillers.
Use organic weed repellent
If you’d rather not use a chemical solution, you can go the more organic route by using corn gluten meal.
Corn gluten meal absorbs the moisture from seeds as they start to sprout, killing the weeds before they get a chance to grow.
You can buy corn gluten meal online, but make sure it says ‘pre-emergent herbicide’ on the label, as supermarket corn gluten meal is much different to the one you’ll need to eradicate weeds.
Spread a pre-emergent herbicide
Pre-emergent herbicides are a great solution to prevent any additional growth of weeds. Once spread, the herbicide infiltrates the soil and will remain there for weeks to months.
This herbicide will kill the weeds as soon as they sprout and – even better – this solution won’t damage mature plants and grass.
So as long as this solution is spread on your lawn, it should remain weed-free, but also thriving.
What should I avoid?
When tending to weeds, it’s important to avoid vinegar. This ingredient is common in many ‘organic’ weed sprays, but it’s actually proven to be quite harmful to grass growth, and can often do more damage than good.
You should also strictly avoid salt. When salt enters the soil – especially in large volumes – it’ll dry the moisture out of the soil, preventing any plants from growing in that area again.
What’s more, salt is easily distributed through the soil by water, so even if you apply a small salt solution, there’s a chance it’s likely to spread to other areas of your garden.
